Santorum to Romney: Use 'potent weapon' of gay marriage

“This is a very potent weapon, if you will, for Governor Romney if he’s willing to step up and take advantage of a president who is very much out of touch with the values of America,” Santorum said in an eye-opening live interview with Arkansas TV station KARK, a CNN affiliate.

The former presidential candidate made the remarks before appearing at the Benton County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in the northwest corner of the state Friday night. Santorum’s comments also came the night before Romney’s speech before the Christian conservative Liberty University in Virginia on Saturday.

Romney’s one time rival noted the recent results of a ballot issue in North Carolina where voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

“Hopefully Governor Romney will continue to stand tall for his position on this issue and understand how detrimental it would be for society for it to have this changed,” Santorum also told the Arkansas station.

“Governor Romney has to talk about his values,” he added. “That’s the most important thing.”

In addition to underscoring how tepid his endorsement of Romney was, Santorum's comments diverge from how Romneyland and much of the GOP establishment has sought to handle the issue. They've accused Obama of playing politics and suggested it's a deliberate distraction from the economy.